Quotes by Jeff Chang

“Thats what its supposed to do--speak truth to power. Im not surprised by this...hip-hop tells the micro history, but it also tells the counter-history to the official narrative.”

“Im glad that the book has been recognized by people that I work with, but Im a little disappointed that its not seen for what it is.”

“Its interesting to me that the questions assume that because Im Asian-American and Pacific islander that Im an outsider. But Im not an outsider to the culture. In hip-hop, you either have something or you make way for someone who does. If you dont have it, step out and learn. I feel Ive had to earn my stripes.”

“I remember when (graffiti film) Wild Style came to the (Honolulu) Academy of Arts. We loaded up the family in the station wagon. At the theater it was us and a couple of hippies from UH.”

“There is so much about hip-hop culture that is peculiar to New York, and I got to understand it from that point of view.”

“At that point I had a real 30-year narrative to sink my teeth into.”

“It was just one of those nights. It was an out-of-body experience.”

“I remember cutting out any article I could find about the guy. At the party, he gave me a piece of something he had done. I cried, dude.”

“I entered at an interesting time, after the L.A. riots, when the field was in crisis. A lot of the movement was down with solidarity with other races, but the riots were a shock. The focus became interracial relations, and they wanted to know what I thought. It gave me a weird credibility in the field. A lot of us got published in academic journals right away.”

“We know that the PC sector wont be good in the first quarter but consumer products are playing a more important role now and that will help boost demand for chips.”

People of color are allowed, even required to perform, and, especially these days on issues of race, to edify as well. Here you are, now entertain us. But are we allowed to lead?

Racism is not merely about individual chauvinism, prejudice, or bigotry. Ruth Glimore reminds us that it is about the ways different groups are vulnerable to premature death, whether at the hands of the state or structures that kill.